Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical South Pacific at the Bob Carr, Michael Kevin Baldwin and Mark Lainer take on the 24 characters of Tuna, Texas, a trio of affordable art events, and more.
In Boon to Palm Coast, Appeals Court Rules Traffic Spy-Cams Legal Even Without State Law
South Florida’s Third District Court of Appeals, in a divided ruling, declares red-light cameras legal under cities’ home rule powers. A dissent calls the majority ruling at odds with state law. The decision may influence a proposal to revisit traffic cameras at the Legislature in the coming session.
As Flagler Jobs Council Narrows CEO Shortlist, Few Stand-Outs and Some Concerns
Not a single candidate got unanimity from all nine council members. Only one candidate got eight votes but the circumstances of his departure from his last job are very cloudy.
Prayer Becomes Official Policy at Bunnell Meetings; “You Can Wait Outside” If Offended
Bunnell voted to open its government meetings with one or more prayers, an idea proposed by Commissioner Elbert Tucker. The city attorney offered cautionary guidance rather than objections.
God Nuts vs. Obama, Gluttons and the Real Shakespeare: The Live Wire
When Obama doesn’t mention god, why Carlsberg is the greatest beer in the world, Newt as the latest flavor of the month, teachers cheating to the test, Updike’s “November,” and more.
Palm Coast Opts to Keep Red-Light Cameras On Despite Legal Cautions and Dearth of Evidence
Despite little money generated from red-light cameras, potential legal challenges and no hard evidence that the cameras improve safety, the Palm Coast City Council decided to stick with its 10 spy-and-snap cameras for now.
School Bus Ruled Out in Alex Taylor’s Fatal Hit-and-Run; Finding Culprit Unlikely
A surveillance video on the grounds of the Flagler County Courthouse helped authorities rule out Flagler school buses and detect a large rig that passed by the scene two minutes before the buses did.
Florida Universities Respond to Rick Scott’s Inquisition With a Massive Document Dump
Public university leaders, through thousands of pages of answers that include backup academic studies and appendixes, have replied to Gov. Rick Scott’s request to outline what the schools are doing to ensure graduates meet the need of Florida employers.
The Rich Are Different From You and Me
Donald Kaul responds to questions raised by his recent “class-war-is-over-the-rich-guys-won” column, demystifying wealth, taxes and other dogmas.
Theresa Woodfin, 28, Is Killed in 3-Vehicle Crash on SR100 as Logging Truck Rams Her
Theresa Woodfin, 28, was killed in a fiery three-vehicle crash that shut down SR100 10 miles west of Bunnell Friday afternoon. A fully-loaded logging truck involved in the crash was on its flank, its cargo spread across the highway.
Workers’ Black Fridays: Florida Second in Mass Layoffs in October; Chill Winds Ahead
While mass media’s attention has deflected attention to the annual post-Thanksgiving shopping craze known as black Friday, indicators point to conflicting and worrisome trends ahead for Florida’s and America’s pocketbooks.
Handel and Tchaikovsky Duels: Nutcrackers and Messiahs Worth the Miles
All sorts of performances of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, the Orlando Philharmonic’s holiday special on Nov. 27, a free Handel’s Messiah at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center on Nov. 27, and more.
Appeals Court Lets Lawsuit Over School Funding Proceed, Florida Supreme Court Next
An 8-7 ruling by the First District Court of Appeals overturned the state’s effort to stop the lawsuit and may lead to a momentous decision by the Florida Supreme Court interpreting the state’s responsibility to adequately pay for education under the Florida Constitution.
Feed Flagler: Community-Wide Celebration Wraps-Up With 3,000 Meals Served
We’re reporting live this afternoon from various Feed Flagler locations as the community-wide Thanksgiving celebration takes place from 3 to 6 p.m.
Feed Flagler Raises $25,000 as Don Fleming Reminds Suzanne Johnston Who’s Sheriff
The $25,000 raised largely on the strength of the sheriff and the tax collector’s efforts is $10,000 more than last year, and means that $14,000 of it will be split between two Flagler County food pantries. The rest pays for today’s 4,000 free Thanksgiving meals across the county.
Sunshine Lessons Clouded By Possibly Dimmer Visibility as Jobs Council Meets for 1st Time
Flagler’s nine-member Economic Development Council conducted the equivalent of a meet-and-greet for itself on Tuesday and promptly reversed a promise that all meetings would be televised live, opting instead for audio broadcasts.
Flagler School District Reaffirms Wireless Ban On Buses Even As It Encourages iPad Fever
A proposal to let students use their smart phones to listen to music or text failed on a 2-2 vote, but the school board left silent the matter of tablets, such as iPads, which can also be used to read a book, do homework or write an essay on the bus–but are now banned as well.
Routine County Appointments Get Testy As Commissioner McLaughlin Challenges Holland
Barbara Revels’s appointment as chairman of the Flagler County Commission was overshadowed by Alan Peterson’s and Nate McLaughlin’s unsuccessful attempts to replace Milissa Holland on two boards. McLaughlin did not take the rejection happily.
Driven By Lower Fuel Costs, FPL Projects Lowering Power Bills By $2 a Month in 2012
FPL, the state’s largest utility, said 2012 fuel costs are now projected to be $460 million less than it had anticipated earlier as natural gas costs keep dropping. That won’t affect surcharges for future nuclear power plant construction.
How Progress Energy Wants to Pass On A $2.5 Billion Nuclear Blunder to Customers
One of the most expensive nuclear accidents in United States history happened right here in Florida a little over two years ago, and now Progress Energy wants customers to pay for its mistake at the Crystal River nuclear plant.
Palm Coast Observer Bucks Bleaker Newspaper Trends As Weekly Nears 2-Year Mark
The Palm Coast Observer’s latest audit shows a weekly print run of 25,000 and a household reach in Palm Coast exceeding 60 percent, compared with the News-Journal’s daily reach of 20 percent.
Flagler’s Firefighters and Paramedics Sweep Another Competition, This Time in Nebraska
Flagler County’s firefighters-paramedics took first, third and fourth-place honors in an annual competition in advanced life support in Omaha, Neb., and second place in the basic life support category.
John Feind Is Leaving After 8 Years; Joy McGrew and Sandra Mason In the Race
When it convenes in February, the Flagler Beach City Commission will look vastly different than it did just a year ago, with three of its commission seats and the mayor’s seat having turned over, but the four candidates running for a commission seat and the mayor’s seat are not quite newcomers.
Florida’s Prescription Express: Doctors Shoving Drugs at Poor Patients, for Millions
Florida regulators are finally getting around to stopping doctors from over-prescribing drugs, some of them risky, to Medicaid patients, and at times to the wrong patients, after enabling the practice despite signs of misconduct.
Feed Flagler Heats: Sheriff and Tax Collector Top $6,000, Chicks With Cans Up Tonnage
Suzanne Johnston and Don Fleming are racing to top each other in fund-raising, and all else is set to go go next Wednesday’s Feed Flagler serving of 4,000 meals at 11 locations across the county.
Florida’s Unemployment Falls to 10.3%, Lowest in 28 Months; Flagler’s at 14%
While the jobless figures are improving and trends are better than they’ve been, Florida is also paring people off its jobless rolls through artificial means that create a slightly deceptive result.
FPC’s Frankie Garcia Picked to Join U.S. Army’s All-American Marching Band
Frankie Garcia’s honor is reserved for just 125 high school senior band musicians once a year, chosen from 1,234 nominations across the nation. He’ll perform at the the annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl’s half-time show before a national television audience.
Carnage Continues: 3rd Fatality in 2 Days as a Woman Is Killed in Head-On Crash on SR100
A woman was killed and two men injured this morning when the woman lost control of her pick-up and slammed it head-on into another pick-up on State Road 100, just past the overpass over U.S. 1 and approaching Bimini.
Second Fatality in Third Wreck, On I-95, Caps a Violent Day on Flagler Roads
David Anthony Adorante of Flagler Beach was speeding in his Nissan south on I-95 when he rear-ended a semi carrying a shipping container. The car flipped several times and was mangled beyond recognition, killing the driver.
Exodus at Flagler Chamber of Commerce As Four Staffers Resign in Four Weeks
After Peggy Heiser announced her resignation as tourism’s VP, Lauren Walsh, Nick Langille and Laura Gamba followed, though Chamber President Doug Baxter assures: “It’s got nothing to do with me,” while the TDC wondered if pay is adequate.
What Global Warming? Science-Doubting Florida Lawmakers Move to Kill Cap-and-Trade
The 2008 law that would be repealed was pushed through in 2008 by former Gov. Charlie Crist, but has never been used to pursue cap and trade — an approach that would provide incentives for businesses, such as electric utilities, to reduce emissions.
Flagler Wrecks: 2 Crashes, 3 Cars, 3 Hospitalized, 1 Dead in 7 Hours on US1 and I-95
Victoria Jordan, 21, of Palm Coast, a 2008 graduate of FPC, was a passenger when she was ejected and killed in a single-car wreck on US1 early Wednesday morning. A two-car wreck on I-95 north of the weigh station sent two to the hospital seven hours later.
Town Hall on School Uniforms Draws Out Big Opposition; Decision Set for Jan. 3
John Fischer, the school board member pushing for school uniforms, did not attend the meeting at the Flagler Auditorium, which drew some 150 people, a third of whom spoke–with a 5-to-1 margin opposing uniforms.
DeLorenzo and McGuire, Palm Coast Council’s Newest, Pick Up Where Pit Bulls Left Off
Mayor Jon Netts and council members Jason DeLorenzo and Bill McGuire were sworn in today, and two brief, emotional speeches over, McGuire cast his first dissenting vote as the council took up mundane and mordant business.
Court Hearing Arguments in a Case That May Determine Legality of Sweepstakes Gambling
Allied Veterans is asking the 1st District Court of Appeal to let the lawsuit move forward, as the non-profit organization seeks a declaration that it offers legal sweepstakes games at the cafes — and not illegal gambling, as critics allege.
Alice Baker Stepping Down in Flagler Beach, Feind May Follow, Joy McGrew Wants Back In
Flagler Beach’s next election is scheduled for Jan. 31 to coincide with the presidential primary and save money. The mayor’s seat has drawn three candidates. One commission seat is up.
Pit Bull Attacks, Mystery Traffic, Angry Neighbors: The Battle Over Farraday Lane
Two dogs are dead following a pit bull attack on Farraday Lane, the second in four months, leading neighbors to mount a campaign against residents in a duplex on the street–who call the campaign unfounded and based on stereotype and hearsay. Residents are taking their case to the Palm Coast City Council Tuesday.
Françoise Pecqueur, Struck By School Board Member’s Wife, Dies 2 Days Short of 77
Françoise Pecqueur was walking her dog in Palm Coast’s C-section the evening of Nov. 10 when she was struck by a a car driven by Jamesine Fischer, wife of John Fischer, the Flagler County School Board member. The incident is now a homicide investigation.
Henry Flagler Dies, Vegas on Pot, Will Ferrell’s Lies, Regulation Myths: The Live Wire
An update on Henry Flagler’s death, FCAT’s coming F schools, Peter Gabriel gives a full concert, Jim Romenesko leaves Poynter under an undeserved cloud, Dubai goes flash mob, and more.
Steve Knob, 5-Year Band Leader at Matanzas, Resigns After Downloading Porn at School
Steve Knob had brought a long and distinguished career to Flagler. Matanzas High School Principal Chris Pryor and others caught him in the act of downloading porn on Oct. 7, but Pryor attributed his resignation to “family medical issues.”
Wilted Rust: The Flagler Playhouse’s Disappointing “Steel Magnolias”
Robert Harling’s “Steel Magnolias” was awful when it was first staged off Broadway in 1987. The greeting-card writing was dated then. Age or venue changes haven’t done it any favors, and the Flagler Plahouse production is unable to salvage it.
Rick Scott Opposes Electronic Health Databases Designed to Speed Up Patient Care
Florida’s Health Information Exchange, a national pioneer, replaces paper with electronic records, speeding up patient care and information exchanges between health providers. Rick Scott opposes it, claiming it doesn’t save money and breaches privacy.
At Hollingsworth Gallery:
Weldon Ryan, Artist of the Year
Weldon Ryan’s journey from Trinidad to the Bronx to Brooklyn to Palm Coast, navigating poverty, violence, brutality and beauty, begins to explain his art’s hyper-realism and its arms-length emotions.
Sisco Deen on the Meaning of Veterans Day, Frank W. Buckles and Mackenzie’s Card
In a moving tribute to veterans and Frank Buckles, the late, last World War I veteran, Sisco Deen, Flagler County’s archivist, reminds us why we must “always remember and honor those who have served and dedicated their lives to our country.”
76-Year-Old Walker in Critical Condition After Car Strikes Her and Drives On in Palm Harbor
The car that struck Francoise Pecqueur, 76, was driven by Jamesine Fischer, 55, the wife of John Fischer, the Flagler County school board member. The car was impounded and the case is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
A Matter of Heart: Tommy Tant Surf Classic Returns to Roil Flagler Beach
The annual Tommy Tant Memorial Surf Classic, a competitive surfing celebration of the late Tommy Tant, runs Saturday and Sunday in Flagler Beach with a focus this year on heart health, as Tommy died of an aortic aneurysm 13 years ago.
The Boys of Pointe du Hoc: Ronald Reagan in Normandy
Reagan’s speech at Normandy’s Pointe du Hoc on June 6, 1984, commemorating the 40th anniversary of D-Day, is one of his noblest, especially in retrospect, for what he said about the cold war, the Soviet Union and nuclear weapons.
Florida’s Latest Immigrants: Undocumented Workers Fleeing Alabama’s Harsh Vise
Reversing Florida’s recent population loss, there’s been an influx of undocumented workers moving to Florida from Alabama as a result of a newly passed state law, the harshest immigration enforcement measure in the country.
Kid Rock, Bob Seger and Festival Overload: Culture Worth the Miles
Kid Rock, Bob Seger, The Doobie Brothers and The Killers: an all-start lineup for Orlando Calling Music Festival. Winter Park, Maitland and Deland all have art events on schedule this weekend.
Angela Wray, a Cop’s Wife, Jailed Over Embezzling $59,000 from Celico Auto
Angela Wray worked as Celico Auto Body’s bookkeeper and secretary from January 2007 to December 2010, committing 127 individual acts of thefts, according to the FDLE, and cashing checks or paying personal bills at various banks or financial institutions.